Inane commentary on a game that deserves far better

Newtown girls fulfilled their mission

This could be just any high school girls’ basketball game. The players stretch as rapper Macklemore plays over the loudspeakers. Students and family members settle into the wooden pullout bleachers for the 5:15 tipoff. Championship banners at both ends of the Hawks’ Nest remind everyone of the school’s proud athletic heritage, although the coach of the 2012 Connecticut Class LL champions is still worried. “We haven’t been practicing well,” said Jeremy O’Connell. “They’re good. This might get ugly.”

The only hint that this Jan. 22 game is unique comes when the Panthers from Pomperaug High in nearby Southbury go over to the Nighthawks to present them with white warm-up shirts similar to the ones they’re wearing. On the front, both sets of shirts have a now-familiar town seal attached to a blue-trimmed black ribbon. The backs are different, though. The Panthers’ shirts read: YOU’RE NOT ALONE. The Nighthawks’ read: NEWTOWN STRONG.